♥ Ongoing Days 1994 ♥ Note on soap magazine publication dates and content of articles/interviews regarding multiple soap stars: Many of the monthly or every other month (and sometimes quarterly) magazines back in the 1980's would be on the newsstands a long time before the date on the actual magazine. We've noticed, for instance, that DAYTIME TV magazine did an interview with Drake in late 1986 about his upcoming wedding, which was scheduled for December 1986, yet the interview didn't appear until the July 1987 issue several months later. Therefore, it might be a bit confusing to read about his "upcoming" wedding in an interview dated July 1987 when you happen to know he was married in December 1986. We've tried to date the articles to match the date on the magazine, regardless of when the events talked about took place. Hopefully it will make sense as you go along! We've also edited some of the articles/interviews to just include John's storyline, since this is a Drake/John website. We've left out comments and sections about other actors or storylines unless they're involved with John's storyline. This too should be very apparent and clear when we've done that so it makes sense and you don't have to skim through a long article to find the "John parts." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ Family Man What secrets are hidden in the closet of Drake Hogestyn (John, DAYS OF OUR LIVES)? Not many, just some dance shoes and baseball hats. SOAP OPERA UPDATE asked Drake to take us on a revealing tour of his life off-screen and to "introduce" us to his family... The Girls... Rachael: "Rachael is the brains in the family," Drake announces proudly. "She just got a special award for having straight A's all the way through sixth, seventh and eighth grade. And so far in ninth grade, it's all straight A's there. I just hope they can challenge her enough. She finds school kind of boring at times because she gets it." The actor admits that he himself was never a straight A student and isn't of much use when it comes to helping out with homework. "And I have a hard time debating her on current issues now because I seem to speckle a lot of my observations with b.s. and she ends up busting me with a lot of facts." Quickly going on fifteen, Rachael's attentions are turning more and more to boys (she just got her own phone line that she pays for herself), but her father insists she is really focused on school, career and dancing. "She's got so much energy. She dances twenty-one hours a week, and she just landed the lead role in the ballet "Little Sunshine." She's been in dance ever since first grade. (Dance class) is the only thing that has really kept all her friends together. It's great for young women of that age, who have so much energy, to have a place to go and burn off all that excess." Whitney: "Whitney is daddy's girl," the actor beams. "She's everybody's girl. It's like the teachers say, she is the sweetest girl in school. She does please everybody. She thinks before she acts. She's not aggressive. You just want to hold her. She's very much the lady. I see so much of Victoria in her. It's such a clone." Eight-year-old Whitney has followed after her big sister in the dance department and takes lessons in jazz and ballet three nights a week. But she may also take her daddy's lead and give acting a whirl. She recently enjoyed an appearance she made on the DAYS Christmas episode, and gets a little inspiration watching her favorite television show. "She watches FULL HOUSE and says, 'I'd like to play that part.' Whether or not that ever materializes, I'm sure it will be way down the line." Alexandra: At five, Alexandra is the baby in the family but is definitely the most headstrong. When Drake and Victoria attempted to get her interested in dance like her sisters, Alex had other ideas. "She went through a half-hour of ballet, and when they sat down to change their shoes to go to jazz, she took her shoes off and said, 'I want to ride horses,'" Drake recalls with a chuckle. "So we have her horseback riding, and her focus for a five-year-old would shock you. She goes through the forty-five minute lesson and just listens with fiery intensity to the instructor. After five lessons she had total command of the horse. It's uncanny. Of course, the instructors look at Victoria and me and say 'You guys are in trouble. This is going to get expensive.'" The next step, of course, is to get Alex her own horse. "We're talking about that, but I don't know," he says hesitantly. "The vet bills we have for three dogs...I understand a horse is tenfold. Right now we're doing good with just the horseback riding lessons." A new wrinkle has developed, however, for the animal-loving Alex. The young girl has long had a chronic sinus problem and was just diagnosed with allergies - to both dogs and horses. The Guy... Ben: "Ben is twelve. Enough said," Drake jokes. "Actually, he's a great student too. A's and B's, which is great. I usually smattered in some C's, so he's ahead of the game there. He's also learned responsibility; however, he is a boy. He got a B in gym and I couldn't figure out how you could ever get a B in gym, so I asked him, 'What are you doing, gangstering around with your friends? How can you be tardy nine times?'" Dad investigated and found out that at school Ben is considered "Mr. Popular and a social butterfly," and he was having trouble getting to class on time. "He's brought that back up to an A this last grading period after a little Dad intervention." Growing up with three sisters may be bad news for some, but Ben has always used this edge to his advantage. "Ben knows all about girls," Drake says with a grin. "He hasn't gone since preschool without having girlfriends. His friends are over all the time trying to just hang out in the environment and get tips on how to handle the girls, because Ben's got a grip on it. He knows girls and he's very comfortable around them." Victoria: Drake's wife, Victoria, has the unenviable task of keeping the family organized and playing chauffeur all hours of the day. "It seems to be the standard out where we live that you have a live-in or a housekeeper, but we've never gone that route," Drake admits. "But I'm sure Victoria would probably welcome it at some point. The running is endless." Victoria's routine begins at 7:15 in the morning, taking Rachael and Ben to the bus stop; after school, she picks up Rachael, swings by and gets Alexandra then Whitney at 3:00 and Ben at 3:30; Whitney has tutoring until 4:00, then ballet at 4:30; Rachael's ballet is from 5-9; Ben has baseball practice; and little Alexandra has her enrichment class after preschool. Whew! "I told Victoria today that it would be nice of me to have a month off just so I could enjoy the grind with her," he reveals. "She said to me, 'You would end up taking a nap in the afternoon. Sometimes I think you go to work to relax.'" Damon Romine, SOAP OPERA UPDATE, 4/5/94 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ DAYS: Who Is John Black? Do You Know This Man? He's Drake Hogestyn, but who he plays on DAYS is still a mystery. John Black has risen to the ranks of super soap hero. He's courageous, gallant, ultra-masculine yet full of heart, and there are just enough chinks in his armor to keep him interesting. And of course, he's good-looking beyond words. What could Drake Hogestyn, the actor who plays this larger-than-life, wildly popular character, possibly be like in real life? It turns out that Hogestyn is a lot like John, but without the angst, and with a much better sense of humor. He may not rescue damsels dangling from cliffs, but Hogestyn did spend hours on a rooftop battling the devastating fires that swept through Malibu. (OOPS! This is wrong. Drake in fact did rescue a damsel in distress. Drake was leaving the studio and saw that traffic was totally stopped because there was a girl on the roof of a bank building who was threatening to commit suicide. Drake could've tried to find an alternate route to get home, but instead he turned his car around, drove through the barricades that the police had set up, got into the elevator of the bank building and went upstairs. Drake tenderly told the police and psychiatrists that he wanted to see if he could help them in some way. It turned out that this girl watched DAYS all of the time so he cleverly decided to impersonate his character at the time. Drake and this girl sat and talked while drinking a lot of tea, and when she excused herself to use the bathroom, the police were able to grab her. Drake also was able to stop a criminal from harming the cast and crew of DAYS when he caught a man in the act of thievery, tackled him and restrained him until the studio's security team arrived on the scene and escorted the man to jail. In our opinion, Drake is just as heroic in real life as his character is on the show.) And you won't find a more enthusiastic cheerleader for his show, despite the fact that he hasn't always had it easy. Hogestyn was brought to DAYS as Roman Brady in 1986, well after the crowd-pleasing Wayne Northrop had vacated the role in 1984. The recast was a hit, but DAYS couldn't resist the opportunity to bring Northrop back in 1991, leading to an identity crisis for Hogestyn's character that has sometimes been awkward to play. Occasionally, details fell through the cracks (see sidebar) (See "What Drake Wants To Know About John Black" below) and understandably, the rechristened character's relationships grew tangled. Rather than grouse, Hogestyn looked for solutions. "Immediately after Isabella died," Hogestyn recalls, "there was Marlena, and we were in the pit saying, 'I loved you and I never stopped loving you and I love you now.' It was real heavy stuff, but there was something missing in those speeches. I couldn't put my pulse on it at first, but then I remembered Isabella's goodbye speech. She said, 'Marlena, you have known John better than anybody. I trust you to take care of him, to watch out for him...' So I went 'upstairs' and asked them to bring Isabella's speech into the story again to tie it together." Hogestyn is currently featured in a powerhouse storyline as the father of Marlena's baby, Belle - but while he's full of praise for other people on his show, you won't hear him congratulating himself on his performances. "It's very difficult," he admits, "and sometimes I don't know how to play it. I think it's also coming off (to viewers) that I'm uncomfortable playing it. It's like I'm listening in at somebody else's door. (Hogestyn's wife) Victoria says, 'Oh, just give them those sad puppy dog eyes and it'll work.'" Sometimes, Hogestyn explains, kinks in the storyline are beyond the show's control. Viewers have registered annoyance that while John has been preoccupied with Belle, he appears to have forgotten about Brady, the child he shared with Isabella. The truth of the matter, Hogestyn says, is that the triplets playing the Brady role were continually crying for their mother, so the role had to be written out on a temporary basis. "Keep in mind as well," Hogestyn notes, "that (the producers) like to see their leading men here a little bit unattached. They prefer having them operating free and independent." While Hogestyn is candid about problems with past stories, he is also wholeheartedly behind the show. In fact, the actor is so content, he recently signed a contract that should keep him in Salem until 1998. He's the first to admit there's nothing like a great job and the security accompanying it. "It's the best job there is," he says. "I am fulfilled doing this, and I have the freedom here to offer suggestions to directors, which allows for more creativity. Sure, there may be other (acting) jobs out there, but I've got responsibilities. I've got a wife and those four birds in the nest, and I've got to fly some worms in there every day. I like that role (of provider) a lot. That's very important to me." It's also important to the winner of SOAP OPERA DIGEST'S Hottest Male Star award to give credit where credit is due. "I have had some success, that's true," he says modestly. "But this is a team effort, and you are only as good as your team. I just strive to commit myself to the work and not take the audience for granted. The viewers are smart, and they'll know if you come in and start walking through your scenes. They'll say, 'Okay, who's next?'" Just The Facts Birthday: September 29 Birthplace: Fort Wayne, Indiana Family: Wife Victoria and children Rachael fourteen; Ben twelve; Whitney eight; Alexandra five Favorite Leading Lady: Drake Hogestyn: That's a tough one because each one was different. One was a spring shower in a forest, one was a walk along the beach, and another was a full moon through a leafless tree. They all had such a unique quality that it makes sense that John could fall in love with each of them. That's a beauty all in itself. At Home After The Earthquake: Drake Hogestyn: We all sat around - with lit candles - and listened to a (battery-run) radio and talked. At night we'd go outside and have a little campfire and eat hot dogs and hamburgers. It was great to get back to family values. What Drake Wants To Know About John Black Fans are curious about the murky details of John Black's past. It turns out that Drake Hogestyn has a few questions himself. He asks: Drake Hogestyn: What happened after John Black was dropped off at boarding school in New York? It's been established that his best friend was the janitor in the basement, who was also his surrogate father, so to speak. But when did he leave? Was he twelve? Fifteen? Did he say, 'Okay, I've got to find out what my roots are?' Drake Hogestyn: What did he do in Europe until he met Danielle? Supposedly, he was John Stevens, working with a detective agency. When Danielle asked him about his past, he never told her anything except, 'Anything you need to know about my past is in the safe deposit box.' She thought all the jewels from Romulus were in there, but all it turned out to be was a locket with no real explanation. Drake Hogestyn: What surrounded John's initial involvement with Stefano?" Were we business partners and something went wrong? Did I doublecross him at one point? And was Kristen involved? I have a feeling that John has known Kristen, that he knew her as a child. John is drawn to her more than just someone you just get to know. Bill Lieberman, SOAP OPERA DIGEST, 4/12/94 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Drake Hogestyn: Down-To-Earth Perspective On Life Drake Hogestyn has such a sexual magnetism about him - and his on-screen persona as John Black is so convincing in the loving department - that he burns a hole right through the television. Ask any one of his female co-stars and they'll openly agree. For instance, co-star Deidre Hall (Marlena Brady) had this to say: "It's Drake's passion that makes him appealing. He's not afraid to love a woman on screen." He is DAYS' epitome of a real ladies' man. His second leading lady on the soap, Eileen Davidson (Kristen Blake) reveals that the two are constantly engaged in practical jokes and silly antics off camera. She says "Drake is always doing these dumb things to me. It's just a way of life." There is such a charismatic appeal to Drake that draws all the women. (OOPS! This is wrong. Eileen is Drake's current leading lady, not his second leading lady. We think his second leading lady was Genie Francis, who played Diana Colville.) In real life, he's married to his high school sweetheart, Victoria. Together they have four children: Rachael, Ben, Whitney and Alexandra. His son even helps go over lines with him at home. Being married to a sexy soap star may have its good and bad points. Drake tells what exactly keeps his marriage together: "I've loved my wife from the moment I saw her. She's my best friend. She understands me. Nothing gets to her. She doesn't get too high or too low. She's a very steady influence. It's perfect in this business. It just really surrounds me." The one thing that Drake and John have in common is their loyalty toward family life. When he's not working, Drake is out and about with his kids, and the evenings are spent with his wife. To this day, his success on DAYS OF OUR LIVES hasn't changed his perspective on life. Says Drake "I don't consider myself a star. True star status is part of a bygone era when studios created stars bigger than life. Today, I suppose being recognized has made a difference. Every day, I go to my news kiosk and order a cup of coffee and buy the paper. Since the dealer started getting soap opera magazines, he's recognized me. Now he has my exact change ready when I hand him my dollar bill." But acting wasn't at the top of Drake's career choices. First he wanted to be a dentist, but that all changed when his athletic abilities paid off instead. While in high school he won a baseball scholarship to the University of South Florida. There he majored in dentistry, his first love, but after graduation, he was drafted by the New York Yankees. While playing with their farm system, he sustained an injury that ended his professional career. He then turned to acting and did a few television stints, and joined DAYS OF OUR LIVES in 1986 as the new Roman Brady. STARLINE PRESENTS A TRIBUTE TO DAYS OF OUR LIVES, 1994 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ DAYS OF OUR LIVES A Chain Reaction Drake Hogestyn (John) says there were moments during his dungeon captivity that he had what he calls "reality attacks." For example, asks Drake, "Did you notice that the chains extended all the way to the door when Stefano wasn't around, but when he was in there with John, they were a lot shorter?" The producers explained that by implying that the chains retracted into the wall, but "then there was the scene in which Stefano stepped over the chains as he moved towards John," continues Drake. "As Stefano was straddling those chains, what do you think John would have done? Yeah, you got it," he nods affirmatively. Ouch! SOAP OPERA MAGAZINE, 7/19/94 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ DAYS Stars Shape Up At Salem's New Gym If you appreciate lean, muscular men and well-toned women, stay tuned to DAYS! This summer, Salem's beautiful people will appear more often in tank tops and leotards to show off their flat tummies, firm pectorals and superbly-toned figures. Many of the scenes will be shot at the new Titan Health Club, conveniently located a few floors below the Penthouse Grill. The new set will be used for "at least a full year," reveals DAYS' Set Designer Chip Dox. "We spent Forty-Two-Thousand Dollars, about half of what we expected it would cost," Dox said. "Basically, it's just one huge room filled with real exercise equipment and real weights." Then he added with a grin: "Well, there are a few light plastic weights. That's in case we have a scene where someone is lifting and lifting through several takes. We don't want to exhaust or injure anyone." Between scenes, the set will be off-limits to actors who want to work out. But that's no problem for the groan-and-sweat set. "They have their own exercise area," Dox pointed out. "And some of the ones who are most serious about working out have their own weight training equipment in their dressing rooms. Many also belong to local health clubs to stay in shape." The Titan Health Club isn't the first gym in Salem. About ten years ago, The Body Connection was the town's fitness center, but apparently it's gone out of business. SOAP OPERA MAGAZINE grabbed these shots of DAYS stars as they went through their shape-up routines at the new gym. Picture Captions: Drake Hogestyn uses dumbbells to pump up his biceps. Lorraine Zenka, SOAP OPERA MAGAZINE, 7/19/94 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Drake Hogestyn SOAP OPERA UPDATE: Which storylines are you proudest of? Drake Hogestyn: Off the top of my head, there are three: trying to bring to life this strange character of The Pawn/John Black/whoever he may be. Those were very rewarding times and I have very warm feelings for that particular storyline. The storyline with Isabella's death: I had to deal with an area that I had never experienced and hopefully will not have to for some time to come. And then this last storyline in the dungeon, I found a lot of interesting things that weren't written to play. SOAP OPERA UPDATE: What do you attribute your success to where balancing a career and fatherhood is concerned? Drake Hogestyn: I was raised in a family that emphasized giving your all and giving a hundred percent to whatever you're doing at that moment; don't cheat yourself and don't cheat the people around you. Outside of my family and my work here, I neither have the time nor the energy to devote myself to anything else. I am totally fulfilled in those two areas. SOAP OPERA UPDATE: Is Kristen or Marlena the right woman for John at the moment? Drake Hogestyn: I don't know. It's a no-win question to answer. SOAP OPERA UPDATE: As an actor, how have you made sense of some of the confusion that is the past and present of John Black? Drake Hogestyn: I have taken this character to heart, and I have gone through all the changes. My storyboard (a personal log that he has kept over his nine years on the show) has it chronologically listed as to where I've been, who I've met, where I was at that time, and what age I was, approximately. When I get to a moment of confusion, I find something about that particular moment that is as true as it possibly can be. If you play it out to your fullest extent, hopefully the audience will go along on the ride. SOAP OPERA UPDATE: Are you very critical of your work? Drake Hogestyn: Extremely. Watching the show is different than actually acting it out. Watching, I realize 'That is where the moment should be made,' so I am very critical of that and I always will be. SOAP OPERA UPDATE: If any of your children chose to become actors, would you encourage that decision? Drake Hogestyn: The only thing a parent can do is to expose their children to as many avenues as they possibly can. To be perfectly honest, my initial opinion that I would swallow is 'no.' I wouldn't encourage it. I think there's a lot of instability in this business, a lot of insecure people in this business. It's a hard business, and you have to be very strong. SOAP OPERA UPDATE: Where do you like to vacation? Drake Hogestyn: I applied to take a vacation in July to go back to Indiana for a week just to go stand in corn, but it was denied. I have not had a vacation since I started on the show nine years ago. I get three weeks paid vacation, so in essence I get paid 55 weeks for 52 weeks of work. But that doesn't make up for the time when it would be nice just to be with the family and just not pick up a script for a week, and go stand in corn. SOAP OPERA UPDATE: It seems as if you're on-air every day. Do you have a special technique for memorizing so many lines on a daily basis? Drake Hogestyn: Practice, practice, practice. Just like baseball, you get out there four hours before game time and you work it, work it, work it. Repetition is the easiest form of learning. You sit down with your scene partner and go over it until the dialogue is secondary, and that's when the good things in acting happen. SOAP OPERA UPDATE: You have a great role, a successful career, a loving family. But what is your life missing right now? Drake Hogestyn: That would have to be not being able to spend enough time with my first family - Mom, Dad, brothers and sister - who are all back East. Whenever I get back to New York for the Emmys or the SOAP OPERA UPDATE Awards or the New York Yankees game (against Drake's Hollywood Allstars) at the end of July, I get to see them. Then I bring them out here sometimes for a week's time. Family is what it is and you want to be around the people that you love the most. It's hard sometimes not to be there and have the good times with them and just tell them you love them. SOAP OPERA UPDATE: What is the motto by which you live your life? Drake Hogestyn: Be true to yourself. SOAP OPERA UPDATE, 7/26/94 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ Tube - A Whole New Ball Game Ex-infielder Drake Hogestyn is now DAYS OF OUR LIVES' most valuable hunk. Growing up in Indiana, Drake Hogestyn wanted to be the Pride of the Yankees. But his life has played more like an episode from his own daytime drama, DAYS OF OUR LIVES, and he'll take it, especially this year. (Please Note: The word "LIVES" was changed to "DAYS" throughout this article. My partner and I can't quite figure out where the reporter got that DAYS OF OUR LIVES fans shorten our soap opera to LIVES, but eh, it doesn't matter. We just thought it was important to note that the fans have only called it DAYS or even DOOL.) Named Hottest Male Star by SOAP OPERA DIGEST, the eight-year veteran of NBC's DAYS has also won the DAYTIME TV Award for Best Actor and the SOAP OPERA UPDATE Award for Best of the Best. In other ballots over the years, he has been voted Best Body, Best Chest, Best Voice and Best Kisser. (Please Note: This should say "Fort Wayne, Indiana," not "Fort Wayne" in several places in this article to keep consistency throughout our website. We always refrain from using shortcuts or abbreviations, even though the magazine chose to do this for space constraints.) So what does such an incandescent number do with his summer vacation? Why, pack up his wife and kids and head back to his hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana, of course. As Hogestyn puts it: "I just want to stand in the corn." It turns out that the guy who sets female hearts a-fluttering as the mysterious and elusive John Black on DAYS is a former minor leaguer in the New York Yankee system who is now married to his childhood Hoosier sweetheart and is devoted to her and their passel of kids. He is humble to a fault - and has no illusions about Hollywood and hunkdom. "My name can slide off the dressing-room door just as easily as it slid on," he says. Hogestyn first learned that bit of fatalism on the playing field. Growing up the second of four children of a manufacturing executive, Bill, and a homemaker, Shug, Donald Drake Hogestyn was just about the hottest athlete in Fort Wayne, Indiana. By fifteen he knew he had a chance of making it as a professional ballplayer. He had also, it turned out, met his future wife, Victoria Post, then twelve. He was playing ball and she rode by on her bike. "I didn't know how old she was," Hogestyn recalls, "but she was beautiful, very regal." After graduating from Northside High, Hogestyn turned down an offer from the St. Louis Cardinals and later accepted a baseball scholarship to the University of South Florida in Tampa. In 1976, he got his degree in microbiology. Then Hogestyn, a hard-hitting third baseman, was drafted by the Yankees and assigned to the club's farm team in Oneonta, New York. At that point, however, his baseball career began to turn, literally and figuratively, into a soap opera. For starters, he and Victoria broke up. She stayed in Fort Wayne, Indiana, married and had two children. Shortly thereafter, Hogestyn suffered a serious foot injury that ultimately ended his baseball career. (Please Note: This should say "Columbia Pictures National Talent Search," not "Columbia Pictures talent contest" in several places in this article to keep consistency throughout our website. We always refrain from using shortcuts or abbreviations, even though the magazine chose to do this for space constraints.) But not before he and some teammates, as a joke, entered a Columbia Pictures Talent Search. "We used our middle names because they sounded weirder than our first names," says Hogestyn, who had always gone by Don. (Please Note: This should say "Columbia Pictures," not "Columbia" in several places in this article to keep consistency throughout our website. We always refrain from using shortcuts or abbreviations, even though the magazine chose to do this for space constraints.) One month later, in September 1978, Drake Hogestyn got a call from Joshua Shelley, director of talent at Columbia Pictures. Asked how he knew he could act, Hogestyn responded, "Pal, when the bases are drunk (loaded) and someone jacks a ball between your legs at your home park to let in the winning run, and you can stand there and act like nothing's wrong - that's acting." Shelley replied, "I'll see you in Los Angeles." A few weeks later, Hogestyn cleaned out his locker and headed for Los Angeles, where he soon signed a Columbia Pictures Television contract. He won a regular role in CBS' SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS, and, in lean times, waited tables. Some five years had passed when he got word from home that Victoria's marriage was on the rocks. He recounts phoning her on Valentine's Day 1983. "I've done a national television series, and there's a certain amount of money and notoriety, but there's a hell of a lot missing, and it's you," he told her. She answered: "I knew that if you were ever going to call, it would be today." Hogestyn flew to Indiana and went straight to Victoria's tiny farmhouse. "I was praying that she was fat and ugly and that her hair had fallen out," he says. "But as soon as she opened that screen door, I said, 'I'm sunk.'" They married in 1984, but by then Hogestyn's acting career had turned cold, and he was about ready to pack it in. (OOPS! This is wrong. Drake and Victoria got married in 1986, not 1984. Also, Drake had given himself seven years to be a working actor. During those seven years, he was starring in Spic and Span commercials, in the television productions of FROM HERE TO ETERNITY, BEVERLY HILLS COWGIRL BLUES and the CBS series, SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS before his acting career had turned cold. At this time he was not married. Drake decided to go on one last audition in 1986, which was DAYS. He married Victoria on December 31, 1986, and Drake had been on DAYS since January; so we'd hardly say that his acting career had turned cold in 1986 because DAYS was his big break.) Instead he decided on one last audition...and the rest is soap opera history. "I frankly thought the run on DAYS would be short-lived," he says. Victoria stayed in Fort Wayne, Indiana until, after a year of steady work, Hogestyn began to believe the job might last for a while. Now they're all settled in a three-level house in Malibu: Drake; Victoria; her two children by her first marriage, Rachael, fifteen, and Ben, twelve; and Drake and Victoria's two daughters, Whitney, nine, and Alexandra, five. (OOPS! This is wrong. Rachael's correct age is fourteen, not fifteen like this article states.) Co-workers say Hogestyn is as much a favorite on the set as he is with his faithful female viewers. "He's a big goof," says Eileen Davidson, who plays Black's latest flame, Kristen. "But he's very professional and cares very much about what he does." That, says Hogestyn, comes from his days on the diamond. "Doing daytime is like baseball," he says. "You concentrate, you play every day - and you have fun." Picture Captions: "I felt comfortable, not intimidated," Hogestyn (near his Malibu home) says of his transition from baseball to acting. "I never got the sweaty palms, and I still don't." (Picture Description: It is forbidden to scan material from any magazine, newspaper or book, so we'll instead try to draw you a picture, regarding how adorable and precious the following pictures are. WOW WEE ladies! This one has our Drake looking so hot, gorgeous and sexy on a beach in Malibu. He is our denim boy in spades! He is wearing a denim jacket with light blue jeans and NO socks or shoes - YEAH, BAREFOOT BABY! His toes are buried in the sand and the beautiful blue ocean is behind him. This is truly nature at one of its finest moments. Drake is in a baseball stance position which is so fitting for an article titled, "A Whole New Ball Game" HA!) Player Hogestyn (here in 1977) endured "streaks and slumps." (Here we have a picture of Drake's baseball card, for when he played in the New York Yankee Organization - Minor League All-Star in 1976. Drake is proudly wearing his New York Yankee pinstripes and a big smile. At the top of the card it says "Fort Lauderdale Yankees" and below his picture it says "Don Hogestyn Infielder" YUMMY! A big thank you to Drake for sharing this card with us, since the picture is courtesy of him.) Hogestyn "has the romantic hero down pat," says DAYS' Davidson. Drake is "very loving, very caring, very generous," says Victoria (third from right, in Malibu with, from left, Ben, Rachael, Alexandra, Drake and Whitney). (Here are our happy, vibrant and fun-loving Hogestyns on the shoreline of a Malibu beach. They're frolicking in the ocean's surf. Drake and his one true love and soulmate, Victoria, are holding hands and running together as little Whitney is holding onto her daddy's other hand, and trying so hard to outrun the waves that are about to hit the shoreline. Little Alexandra is way ahead of her big sister as she also appears to be trying to outrun the waves while sharing a giggle with her family. LOL, yes siree, these two little sweethearts for sure share their daddy's athleticism. Drake and Victoria are laughing as they watch the antics of their younger children as Ben and Rachael also joyfully look on. Victoria once said that Drake loves to go back home to Fort Wayne, Indiana during the Fall months, so he can play in the leaves, but it is clear by this picture that her handsome husband also loves to play in the water. The Hogestyns are such a fun and free-spirited family!) Mark Goodman and Leah Feldon-Mitchell, PEOPLE WEEKLY, 8/22/94 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ The Update Report Private Lives Making News Bases Loaded - Drake Hogestyn: Drake Hogestyn (John, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) has spent nine years on the soap and eleven years on the Hollywood Allstars baseball team, which faces off against Major League teams across the country. "The team we had ten years ago was unbeatable," he remembers fondly. "We were in our prime. Now, some of those players are getting a little older. The manager is still holding on to the old days and I've been telling him he's got to get some new talent in there." The actor is holding his own after all these years; he recently scored two of the runs when his team beat football's San Francisco 49ers. "I'm in the best shape of my life (he dropped twenty pounds for the show's dungeon scenes), but I'm kind of wondering about myself physically," he admits. "The old wheels are starting to go." Last season, Hogestyn hit a home run at Yankee Stadium and seriously tore his hamstring rounding first base. The injury continues to affect him. Each game he plays, he snaps the torn tendons once again. SOAP OPERA UPDATE, 8/23/94 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ Hogestyn's Novel Theory Drake Hogestyn has his own theory about who DAYS OF OUR LIVES' John Black should ultimately turn out to be: Jason Bourne, the character in Robert Ludlum's THE BOURNE IDENTITY. According to Hogestyn, Black was inspired by that book. "It's one of the reasons I took the role in the first place," he says. "I was reading THE BOURNE IDENTITY when I went to see (DAYS' Casting Director) Doris Sabbagh (in 1986). (OOPS! This is wrong. Drake's first audition for DAYS was back in November 1985 not 1986.) She started describing the character to me, and I said, 'You're talking about Jason Bourne.' I pulled the book out from my briefcase. She said, 'That's exactly it.'" Who is Jason Bourne? "A person the government actually created," Hogestyn explains. "He lost his wife and kids in the war and was on a suicide mission after that. He was proficient in all the (martial) arts. He would take on all the jobs to go in and hunt down the enemy. He didn't care about his life. He would always get his men through the mission." According to Hogestyn, Bourne's haphazard ways eventually got him "injured to the point where he lost his memory and everything else. That's when the government took him and created this weapon called Jason Bourne." Hogestyn theorizes, "The government obviously planted John Black in the seminary. John Black just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when Stefano DiMera was in there giving a confession." Hogestyn is quick to add that no one at DAYS has said a word to him about any of this. "I'm guessing, along with everybody else...just as a fan." Janet Di Lauro, SOAP OPERA WEEKLY, 9/13/94 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ DAYS' Drake Hogestyn Goes... Back Home To Indiana For Drake Hogestyn, going home again evokes powerful memories, and as he strolls the streets of Fort Wayne, Indiana, waves of warm nostalgia wash over him. There's the old house where he grew up...the home of his childhood sweetheart, Victoria, who is now his wife...the Dairy Queen where he worked after school...the baseball field where Drake honed the skills that led to a brief career as a professional ball player. (Please Note: This should say "Fort Wayne, Indiana," not "Fort Wayne" in several places in this article to keep consistency throughout our website. We always refrain from using shortcuts or abbreviations, even though the magazine chose to do this for space constraints.) Several times a year, Drake (John, DAYS), Victoria and their four children - Rachael fifteen, Ben twelve, Whitney nine, and Alexandra five - return to Fort Wayne, Indiana to visit family and friends and to amble down Memory Lane. On a recent visit, Drake shared some of his fondest memories with SOAP OPERA MAGAZINE. He said he first saw Victoria when he was at baseball practice and she rode past on her bike. He was fifteen and she was twelve. "It was love at first sight," Drake grinned. Their first "date" was going to a high school football game. "We liked to go floating on the river in a flat-bottom rowboat," Drake recalled. "There was an island we'd row to." To neck? "Oh, we kissed everywhere," Drake answered with a laugh. A romantic youngster, Drake used to constantly write love notes to his girlfriend. "I'd leave my pole-vaulting pole propped outside my second-floor bedroom window. About 3:00 AM I'd sneak out, use the pole to get down, then leave notes in Victoria's mailbox for her to find first thing in the morning. Then I'd use the pole to get back in my room." Drake showed us the Dairy Queen where he worked as a teenager. And he pointed out the spot where he was hit by a police car while Drake was riding his bike home from football practice. The accident knocked him out, injuring his knee, shoulder and right leg. Despite the injuries, Drake played baseball for the University of South Florida in Tampa and later for a New York Yankee farm team. "When I went off to play baseball, Victoria opted to stay. She refused to become what she felt would be a 'Baseball Annie,' following a rookie player town-to-town." During their separation, Victoria married another man. Almost by accident, Drake became an actor. (Please Note: This should say "Columbia Pictures National Talent Search," not "Columbia Pictures talent contest" to keep consistency throughout our website. We always refrain from using shortcuts or abbreviations, even though the magazine chose to do this for space constraints.) As a joke, he entered a Columbia Pictures National Talent contest and landed a role on CBS Television's SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS. His new career kept him in Hollywood most of the time, but his hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana kept calling him back. And when Victoria's first marriage ended after nine years, she and Drake were reunited. In 1984, they married. (OOPS! This is wrong. Pardon the interruption but Drake and Victoria got married in 1986, not 1984.) Recently, Drake and Victoria took a sentimental stroll over to the baseball diamond where they first laid eyes on each other. "The field was all torn up, being renovated for a new professional team," he said. "We walked around the bases and found a baseball that was run over by a bulldozer. It's flat, with exploded seams, and stuffing bursting from it. I have it at home on my dresser." During the same visit, Drake spotted an "Open House" sign on the house where he grew up and went inside. "I wandered through to my old bedroom and the attic area. There I found a false door that led to my 'secret place.' I was surprised to find my old miniature hockey game there. When I tried it, the game still worked. The lights still flashed and the bells dinged. I tucked it under my arm and crawled out of the secret place. As I was leaving, the real estate agent looked at me suspiciously. I told her I used to live there, and that this was my game. Now my kids play with it at home." Drake has never let his success as a soap star go to his head, and still remains a simple hometown guy at heart. "I just wish people could experience even one day of what I live," he says. "I'm so lucky and I know it." Lorraine Zenka, SOAP OPERA MAGAZINE, 10/4/94 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ NBC Gossip DAYS OF OUR LIVES Press-shy Drake Hogestyn (John) was happily surprised by the recent piece about him in PEOPLE WEEKLY magazine. "I guess because I don't actively have a publicist, anything that comes my way just happens to come my way," he remarks. "I don't actively pursue publicity. It's nice that they wanted to know, 'Who's this guy who's winning awards and hosting the Emmys?'" Did his wife, Victoria, like the photos? "Well, yes," he laughs, "except you couldn't see (my daughter) Alexandra's face." SOAP OPERA DIGEST, 10/25/94